NRA donates $25K to Pennsylvania law enforcement (video)

Thanks to its annual Great American Outdoor Show, the National Rifle Association plans to donate a total of $25,220 to two central Pennsylvania police agencies through its charitable foundation, the organization announced on Thursday.

Held in Harrisburg, the state’s capital, the NRA created the show four years ago. Since then, nearly $200,000 have been donated to help local law enforcement, youth groups, and other eligible organizations.

“The NRA is able to continue hosting the Great American Outdoor Show each year because of the support of the central Pennsylvania community, and we constantly look for ways to give back to those who help make this event possible,” Jason Brown, an NRA spokesperson, told the Washington Free Beacon.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission will receive a grant of $15,220 in order to help their Woodland Tracking Team obtain night vision goggles. The purchase will enable officers to better search for lost or missing hunters and hikers at night.

The Swatara Township Police Department’s reinstated K-9 program will receive $10,000. The NRA said the program will be used for building searches, drug interdiction, and criminal apprehension.

Brown said the two agencies were chosen because of what they do to help support the outdoors and hunting communities.

“We identify organizations that not only exemplify the spirit of the shooting sports and the outdoors, but particularly those who build and shape the future of this lifestyle,” he said. “Those groups represent the life blood of the outdoors in Pennsylvania, and by supporting and empowering them to make a lasting positive impact in their communities, we invest not only in the future of the Great American Outdoor Show, but the future of our outdoor traditions.”

The Great American Outdoor Show will be held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg between Feb. 3 and 11. It is one of the largest gun and outdoors shows in the country with 650,000 square feet of exhibits.